SPeakers 90% of your sound

Great responses to all...just a quick clarification...Im not advocating spending 90% of your budget on speakers...just that speakers account for 90%(or so) of your sound(good or bad depending on your means)...so there seems to be 2 camps...for example purposes...in a 2k system...there are those who would allocate roughly $500 for speakers and the rest on source and electronics...and there is the camp that would allocate roughly 1k on speakers and so on...I would fall into the latter group myself...with "midfi" amps and sources gaining much ground on higher end, esoteric products(where cosmetics and build quality often inflate prices)...I would have to agree that the sonic differencs between a $500 amp and a 5k solid state amp are very minute(maybe even non-existent)...these are my findings...

Phasecorrect, that's silly.

If you or anybody else in this thread really believe that there are only very minute differences at best between a $500 amp and a $5000 amp, well...,

..., let's just say you must be looking at the wrong amps or you're shopping at the wrong stores.

This statement is hard to believe. I can't think that anybody would make a broadbrushed statement like this for any product. Much less any one group of audio components, and specifically amplifiers.

Well, maybe speaker cable supporters, but even that's pushing things a bit.

Now keep in mind, I'm not talking about the costs here. Because it is entirely possible that the hypothetical $500 amp may very well blow away the $5000 amp sonically. i.e. the Odyssey Stratos at $1000 comes to mind.

Same thing if one were to compare one $500 amp to another $500 amp. One could easily wax the the other even though they cost the same.

-IMO

Stehno...I was trying to emphasize a point and I probably over did it a bit...but the bottom line...and you even touched upon this...hi pricetags dont guarantee hifi...and the law of diminishing returns can be brutal...there are some truly outstanding intergrateds in that 1k range(and even below)...and going much beyond that can be overkill...however....part of the fun of being an audiophile is overkill! RIght?

Sorry, Phasecorrect. I obviously took your words only at face value.

Did I mention I'm a fundamentalist? Yup. Metho-Baptyrian.

-IMO

Phasecorrect, there are many ways to set up a system. Some folks like to get the speakers first and then look for the amp to match it. Some other folks like to get the amp and source setup first before getting the speaker to match it. Either case is fine depends on what you prefer.
This is not Chicken or egg debate. Which ever way comes first is fine.
I choose the speaker first because of the size and look requirement. In this case, I would try out different amps. Chaing amps can be very dramatic.
If you already have nice amp and source and you're looking the get a speaker to match the amp then speaker change can be dramatic to your setup.
In my opinon, both amp and speakers are equally important to system matching. I do think both made up a good 60% of your system. You then have the other 40% to play with the other components (source, cable, preamp, tweaks)
Since your room is fixed value (unless you plan to switch rooms), I do not take it into consideration when you purchase your equipment (assuming you only use your room as the reference listening room.)